The Sign of the Fox
by SugarHigh-Airis
Summary: Where Namimori is a mini sovereign separate from Japan, and Tsuna is worshiped in secret there as a prankster vigilante; Nana knows of the Mafia and Takeshi is a childhood friend. When Reborn meets Tsuna with their very different ideas of Chaos and Humiliation, a clash is inevitable. Watch as Tsuna learns to be confident without hiding behind a mask, and unleashes chaos anyway.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I wrote this (and Chapter 2) ages ago but I took so much time with my uncertainties that by the time exams came I totally forgot to publish this... ;-;

I was kind of paranoid with this story because I didn't want to disappoint M. Tyche I triple triple checked this.

 _I don't own Khr._

 _Story's general idea adopted from M. Tyche._

 _:D But I own everything else :D_

* * *

The sixteenth of June.

The sun shone as brightly as ever in Namimori despite it being the first week of June, and Tsunayoshi could not help be thankful for Namimori's good fortune. Despite it being the rainy season in the rest of Japan, Namimori's weather was usually stable during these months, a little like Hokkaido. Fortunately however, it was not a popular tourist spot, unlike Hokkaido during June, for Namimori was a quiet, peaceful, and inconspicuous town that was rarely heard of by foreigners.

Tourists would surely be considered as unwelcome if they enraged the Hibari Kyoya by further crowding Namimori, after all. From Tsuna's observations, he was pretty territorial and irritable. The direction of his thoughts led to an instinctual shudder borne of deeply and physically ingrained fear. He detested how his body betrayed him, but it couldn't be helped if reality caught up with him when he was not the Fox. The thought of Hibari biting tourists to death was certainly terrifying enough to justify his reaction.

 _Kami,_ he pleaded, for the good of Namimori.

However, the sunlight was blinding, scorching, and almost sadistically relentless. It seemed to be glaring everyone to death and sapping energy like an invisible leech. Should he really be pleading good fortune for this? He was trudging home, his school clothes damp with perspiration and his sight obscured with irritating light. He was tired, but even he knew that he'd prefer the un-spring-like summer weather than actual devastating rainfall.

Stay content, Tsuna.

Even so, pushing away his irritation only attracted something else for him to stress over. He could not help it. He had not completely rid himself of his 'dame'ness it seemed. He was working on it, but it didn't seem to work well enough without his mask to convince him that he could become awesome.

His dread built itself up in gradual waves, and no matter how he had tried dismissing the matter out of his mind, it would only temporarily ebb... and then flow back in a bigger, more aggressive wave that crashed onto the shores of his brain violently. His tender mind couldn't possibly take it well, and he thus had a throbbing headache that came and went It was not a physical headache in any way, despite what Tsunayoshi crashing his head against the wall might have implied.

The truth was...

The Night of the Wandering Fox, one of the most celebrated and anticipated holiday, popular with all ages due to the openness and simplicity of its 'festivities'—

Indeed, a wild, crazed chase of the whole of Namimori targeting a single, deified entity could be considered to be 'simple' to understand, though difficult to actually accomplish. It was very 'open' too, you could join for as long as you'd like, for as long as you could keep up. That was, if anyone could find the real Fox.

— _That, was the source of his dread._

He could blame the 'Fox' in him for enjoying the event as he teased his relentless pursuers, sure, but in the end, it was the same as blaming himself. It was better not to think about it, or try blaming anyone, he thought. Even so, his mind proceeded to vindictively add, _blame the Kitsunetsuki then_.

Unfortunately, a huge part of him agreed wholeheartedly, happily, and perhaps a little too bloodthirstily. Coincidentally, that was also the part of him that functioned as a third of his 'Fox' persona, the part that suggested the most vicious of punishments to him. But he could not possibly prank his followers, for that would ruin the image of unity in his army of (unknowing) minions, and recruitment would be more difficult if the terms were unappealing. Getting pranked was unappealing. His mother would then lecture him about what it takes to be the leader of an organization, again.

Ah, yes, he remembered, there was once that horrible moment when he had thought his mother was actually preparing him for something...

 _"Mom... Oh please. It's not like I'd grow up to lead a Mafia organization and have thousands or millions of minions to manage... right? ...Mom? Why aren't you answering me? Mom, are you okay?"  
_  
She had explained that she was just distracted, that it was nothing and she was just thinking about his father, and Tsuna decided to believe in the only truth that seemed favourable to his finer sensibilities. Un, it couldn't really possibly mean anything like what he suspected, he had decided. In fact, please don't let her have meant that, Kami.

Tsuna shut his eyes in avoidance of the unpleasant memory and sped up, his steps becoming strides. The occasional breezy reprieve from the heat was doing a good job in ridding him his horrible thoughts.

He soon reached home, but not before dodging the neighbor's dog's attempt at assaulting him. He was determined that no matter what his mother told him, the devil spawn would never be considered cute or harmless in his eyes. That Chihuahua was an evil thing.

He removed his shoes at the doorsteps, letting out the usual, "I'm home!"

Silence filled the house, an empty, tense silence. No one had responded to his declaration. His brows furrowed with concern, and hesitantly, he called out to the empty house. "Kaa-san? Are you here?"

Stepping forth into the kitchen and finding no one, he quickly took the stairs instead and called out again. "Mom!"

Silence was his reply yet again, and he let out a strangled sound. "Mom?"

Seriously, what the fudge did he do in his life to deserve this?

'Well, I mean, with the exception of pranking people under the guise of divine punishment,' he thought, and faux coughed sheepishly.

But really.

"Mother?" He tried again, a suspicion forming at the back of her mind. When there didn't seem to be any sign of his mother again, Tsuna sighed. He could guess where she was now.

He stared at his room morosely. He was just a small distance away from his comfortable, warm and humble abode... But oh well.

He ran a hand through his hair as if frustrated, and scratched his head, messing his hair up. In spite of that display of negative emotion, his lips tilted up in an almost unnoticeable smirk. Turning back to his shoes, he sighed, before he slipped them on and rushed out again. His caramel eyes glinted with purpose, and his lips pulled into an excited grin without his consent.

Next destination, Takesushi.

It has been months since his last visit to the Yamamoto family after all, despite frequent contact with them through messaging.

XXXXXXX

Somewhere else in Namimori...

It was mid afternoon, with the blinding, relentless sun hung right up in the sky proudly, scorching the ground and all those without protection. The sky was nearly cloudless, unnaturally so, giving over the reins of the sky over to the tyrant sun temporarily. It burnt every single surface it could touch, raising tempers, diminishing patience, dying Namimori in a golden light.

Ah yes, it was such a day, where the wise were home to avoid the sun.

However, in the dark, dingy alley where the rays of the sun could not reach, lurked two shadowy figures. The alley was a narrow, concrete path between Takesushi and an empty, forsaken shop, strategically dispersing all sounds so that any conversation would not escape to any ears on the street.

The two silhouettes were hooded, their faces hidden, shadowed by cloth. Anything that could identify them was carefully hidden in the flowing, inky black cloak. The cloak was like woven ebony, descending into vicious embroidered flames that licked the hem. The two mysterious figures stood in the darkest, quietest corner of the alley, and spoke in hushed exclamations.

"Do you have it then?"

One of them suddenly blurted out those words with a high pitched, feminine voice, anxiously, as if it might determine her life or death. Unseen to anyone, the young girl was clutching a tiny but intricately made charm of a small fox, strung with orange yarn beneath her cloak. The charm was a popular sign of devotion to the Fox Guardian of Namimori, Kitsune-sama, that originated from the girl's small group of friends. Unfortunately, the Kitsunetsuki had quickly caught on and spread the practise, and the little symbol of loyalty in her group suddenly became a widespread fashion for any admirers of the Fox's deeds. That soon became one of the reasons behind the fervent rivalry between the two groups, other than the Nine Tail's closer association with Kitsune-sama.

The girl's group, the 'Nine Tails Sect' coined jokingly by the Fox himself, was in truth not a big a group as most thought. The group consisted of only the closest and most trusted of the Fox's friends, despite it being rumored to be an underground cult, or yakuza, or even a secret organization of magic users!

"Yes, of course! The Kitsunetsuki idiots have volunteered to help distribute, so everything was done quicker than expected."

The other replied with his boyish voice in clear disdain, though there was a tinge of relief.

"The original copies won't be late then? We have to get the videos to the High Priest along with the Kitsunetsuki's tributes to our Fox if we don't want the bastards of the Kitsunetsuki Sect to question our devotion!" She questioned, agitation lacing her tone. Several auburn strands of her hair poked out of her hood as she fidgeted in impatience.

"Yes, yes, stop fussing! We won't lose to them delusional people! Even if they question how worthy we are to have met with the Fox himself, fact is that they're just jealous!" He reasoned, a smug, confident smirk revealing itself under the hood.

"Oh indeed, even if I am too, like them, curious about Kitsune-sama's true identity, I would never pry into his real life without consent! That's right, as if Nine Tails could ever lose to the likes of those shallow wannabes from Kitsunetsuki! Like they could be considered to be devout followers of the Fox's cause if they do not respect His wishes to remain anonymous! If Kitsune didn't ask for us to keep it down, we would've proved our worth to them by now!" She pouted after her exclamation, but otherwise had a tiny, concealed smile on her face.

"Yes, yes… Now shut it. We have to hurry back now meet with the others now."

"Alright. Let's go. But why were we sneaking around when no one else's around in this alley again?"

"I said shut it! As long as we are in this cloak, the single most identifiable feature of the true followers of Kitsune-sama to the demon prefect Hibari Kyoya, stealth is the only option!" He looked at her like one would a lunatic, his eyebrows raised and furrowed in incomprehension, then in a flabbergasted tone, he demanded of her, "Do you want to be bitten to death?"

"...Fine, fine… That may have been a stupid question... Tch."

As soon the two figures rounded the bend, they removed their cloaks and blended in with the crowd seamlessly, a casual and normal conversation between the two becoming part of their natural disguise. In fact, they acted and seemed so normal, so unassuming, that despite their statuses as the two best looking students of Namimori, so very few had realized that they've been on the street.

It was in this setting that Tsunayoshi had brushed past the two unknowingly, as he rushed to Takesushi with an air of childish anticipation.

This was just another day in Namimori.

This was a mere few days before one of the most celebrated festival in Namimori, rivalling the Summer Festival, the Night of Wandering Kitsune — when everyone tried their luck to discover Kitsune-sama's identity, and the Nine Tails donned kitsune half masks to misdirect them. That was of course, the festival that was simultaneously the most dreaded and most anticipated by the Fox himself. He would hate for his identity to be exposed by such a frivolous festival, even though he could not help but find their attempts amusing.

The rumours within Nine Tails were that Kitsunetsuki had established the stupid festival, as a petty attempt to find out the Fox's identity, despite his orders for them to leave it alone. Sorry to say, but it was only all too easy to believe those rumours.

Another day passed as usual, as normal as it could be for residents of Namimori, but those were merely the so called calm before the storm.

XXXXXXX

The fifteenth of June.

The day before in Sicily, Italy...

The bar was dim with little light, obscuring visibility to an extent. The smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol pervaded the air, and sound was usually kept to a minimum. Whatever happened in the bar stayed within it, as was the common rule when shady people not only ran the place, but frequented it.

Two middle aged men nursed their drinks on the counter of the bar, blending in with the rest of the customers naturally. Suspicious people were unfortunately, all too common in this part of Italy, especially as the dark approached to purge the day.

The wooden door creaked loudly as it opened, flooding the place with unwelcome orange light of late dusk. A long stretch of shadow touched the filthy ground of the bar as the door opened enough to reveal a mysterious infant that wore a black fedora with an orange ribbon. His figure was an infamous thing even amongst the dredges of the underworld, and his name was fearfully uttered by many.

Even so, the two mafiaso did not turn around, nor did they glance back.

Perhaps with respect, though it was hard to tell with mafiaso, the blond had greeted the infant, "Reborn."

"Called out by the Old Man again?" On the other hand, his grey haired companion had cut the pleasantries to the heart of the subject of their curiosity. "The popular ones have it tough. Is it Rome this time? Venice?"

The strange infant smirked, and despite his physical appearance, he seemed to fit well with the atmosphere of the shady bar. Almost as if he anticipated their reactions to his answer, he let his voice cut clear through the murmuring of the other patrons of the bar, though he spoke low enough for his voice to be ignored.

"It's Japan." He adjusted his fedora to hide the sadistic anticipation on his face.

There were sharp intakes of breath from both men, and with shock and comprehension lacing their voice, they spun around from their seats to exclaim, "Japan! The Old Man has finally decided?"

"This one will probably be a long journey," the infant hitman muttered as a dark, anticipatory look flashed across his face, confirming the suspicions of the two mafiaso to their dread. The underworld would be in absolute flabbergasted turmoil over a choice like that, and all the political implications! The life of a mafiaso would not be any easier from now on...

Calmly, he turned around just in time for his chameleon to morph into a green gun reminiscent of a toy water gun, with its business end pointed to the head of a third rate assailant. "This isn't a toy," he warned, his voice squeaky but expressing an underlying danger.

The poor soul dropped his knife like he was scalded and squeezed his eyes shut in fear, waiting for his demise as he gritted his teeth.

Having determined the no name thug as harmless, the gun morphed back into a green chameleon, and the hitman left the thug on the ground where he had collapsed in relief. The hired hand was only glad to be alive.

His next target was in Namimori, Japan, except he won't be turning his target into a corpse this time. If his student was anything like Dino, their time together would be fun.

He looked forward to seeing his student's potential. And torturing him into shape.

Correction: He looked forward to 'tutoring' his new student.

XXXXXXX

Tsunayoshi skidded to a stop before the front of Takesushi. "Kaa-san!" He called out as he walked in, weaving through tables, chairs and people with a familiarity that could only stem from years of experience. He went under the blue cloth to the back of the store, turning into a private corner, and found his mother chatting with Yamamoto Senior... predictably. At this time of the day, there were few customers, mostly because there was an air conditioned option known as the fast food restaurant. Thus, Yamamoto-san found the time to have idle conversations with his mother, instead of being too busy manning the sushi restaurant.

Or, he should say, Yamamoto-san found the time to try woo his mother. That was how he saw it anyway.

The two were laughing and talking together with an ease and familiarity that anyone would be jealous of. The usually tensed lines on his mother's face were relaxed, and that was a very rare thing that Tsuna was glad to see. He knew that his mother hid it really well, but she was constantly stressed about something, and that pressure only seemed to increase when his useless father was around. Although she always tried to look happy, Tsuna knew that she was often far from it, even if she refused to tell him the reason why.

In that respect, he felt that Yamamoto-san was good for his mother.

"Tsu-kun?" His mother turned to him smiling, oblivious to his brooding thoughts. She giggled a little when Takeshi finished cleaning up in the kitchen and began walking towards them. The glint in her chocolate eyes seemed extra bright, just like it sometimes appeared when she was particularly interested in his endeavors as the Fox. "Oh you must look at how much Takeshi-kun has grown in these past months! He's even taller than me now!"

'He was taller than you ever since last year...' was what he wanted to say, but wisely did not risk her wrath. Ignoring the comment, he waved hello to his childhood friend with a smile.

His first glance at Yamamoto Takeshi closer up showed that his mother's words were true indeed.

His friend had always been a healthy, growing child, tall and sturdy compared to the rest of their contemporaries. But in a few months, Takeshi-kun had grown a good ten centimeters, that freakishly tall... tall... idiot. Tsuna felt as if he would cry. Would Tsuna forever remain this short?

He gritted his teeth and watched as Yamamoto Junior waved back to him. No, he will not, he decided firmly. A fire had been lit in his honey brown eyes - a fire of resolution. He will surpass his mother's shorty genes!

At that moment of undying conviction, a familiar chuckle reached his ears. "It's been a while, Tsuna." He shook off his mental image to focus on the towering figure before him, whose shoulder was nearly aligned with his head. Takeshi's smile was bright as usual, a comforting sight for sore female eyes.

Unfortunately, Tsuna was not female.

"You really haven't grown at all in the height department huh." Takeshi teased, ruffling Tsuna's chocolate brown locks. Said person pouted, but was already used to it as the shortest amongst his contemporaries. That didn't mean that he would admit defeat to his biological fate though. "It's been so long since the last time we've hung out."

"It can't be helped, Takeshi. You've been busy with many things too," Tsuna replied conversationally. He then sighed dramatically, and lowered his head as if he was forlorn. "Besides, to be seen hanging out with the great school idol would be truly a sin that would get me lynched by your fangirls for it... "

"Well... We have been in contact via phone calls, but that simply doesn't cut it for us. I mean, after next week I'd be quite free of my extra curricular activities for a while anyway, so we'll be free to mess around together again!" Tsuna whispered, winking conspiratorially with when he exaggerated the words 'extra curricular activities'. It made his friend bite down a grin, but he understood and agreed to the insinuation. The silent understanding between the two childhood friends was after all cultivated by years of tutelage under the Queen of Pranks, so it was needless to say that their version of bonding would be less than approved by the common adults.

"There's still time today, so we can still have fun together! That is, if Nana-san agrees." Takeshi cheerfully turned to the smiling woman who was interrupted mid conversation with his father. A look of alarm flashed across Tsuna's visage, and slowly distorted into one of panic when his mother smiled, nodded, and agreed, throwing him into the tiger's jaws.

"Oh my, go ahead and have fun! Just be back here before seven, since Tsuyoshi-san has invited us to have dinner here tonight. Be careful of the ledges on your way out!" Her smile did not even falter as she handed her son over to Yamamoto Junior, knowing that his version of 'having fun' without pranks included only included either baseball or any random thing they came across. So far, it was looking likely that they would be hitting the baseball machine this time. Poor tortured Tsuna whose luck with ball sports equaled getting hit by the ball.

What about his opinion...?

He cried silent, invisible tears.

"Come on Tsuna, it'll be fun!"

At that time, he did not think much about the implications of his mother's last comment. After all, she could not possibly have visited so often that she would notice that he had hollowed out the ledges, right?

That was so long ago anyway, and that little prank had actually yet to bear any fruit...


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I'm actually very rusty at this point, so Chapter 3's going to be sloooow... Ah but I've completed nearly half of my self imposed word minimum 3k, so I hope I can puke out the rest soon. Come feed my muse with opinions and suggestions please? She's staaaarving... PM is okay for people who hate reviewing, .

 _Own? What own? You mean my brand new copic markers? *flashes 12 markers like a paper fan*_

* * *

"Let's talk a little about our town Namimori before we move unto its history," the teacher smiled and said. "Currently, Hibari-sama rules Namimori as the 8th successor, and has managed to keep iron control on Namimori's surrounding Yakuza-based towns. As such, if we disregard legalities, Namimori's territory includes Kokuyo, Hakuto, and three other surrounding towns. For ease of discussion, we shall call that entirety as the Namimori Empire."

Keeping an extremely calm facade, the teacher ignored the fact that half the class was fidgeting uncomfortably, and the other half had too much awe in their eyes.

"Namimori's crime rate is in fact, extremely low compared to before the previous head of Hibari first ascended to his position. Murderers and robbers used to be rampant, but with the aggressive tactics used by the previous head of Hibari, the number of unnatural deaths in Namimori has dramatically decreased." She spoke with a practiced familiarity, suppressing the awe and fear from her voice. Despite that, it was visible on her face.

And what she spoke of was true. With late Hibari Togami's iron fist micromanaging his territory, the number of riots had gone down, and so did the local yakuza peacefully come under his control. He did not want to exterminate the yakuza in Namimori permanently, as others would just pop up again after a while, so he had settled for setting down ground rules for them.

The current Hibari Kyoya had a vastly different way of managing his territory however, keeping everyone in line with _healthy_ doses of fear and well... _mutual_ respect. Those who broke the peace never got away away scot free.

As the Director to the Disciplinary Committee, Hibari Kyoya was feared, even more than the police was to the gangsters. Truthfully, Hibari could have left school anytime he wanted, but rumours served to say that he was training the Disciplinary Committee to reinstate the Peace Keeping Squad that existed during the sixth head of Hibari's reign. The regular patrols around Namimori and the yearly recruiting only fed those rumours.

Needless to say, the rumours regarding the Hibari clan being a clan of vampires were much more popular, and at the same time, ruthlessly squashed once the Committee got wind of them.

Generally though, Hibari allowed for Namimori to become less _smothered_ under his rule than his father's management. Despite the hereditary control freak characteristics from Hibari's line, he was satisfied with micromanaging his school as long as everyone still understood explicitly where they stood in Namimori's 'food chain', so to speak. Unfortunately, the legendary Hibari clan's importance had somewhat diminished in the younger generation, and the current head had not seen fit to correct their presumptions about the Hibari clan's right to rule.

Make no mistake, for it was not birthright that let them rule, but the iron integrity and peerless determination instilled into all Hibari children from birth that made them above everyone else. No matter how much Hibari Kyoya was feared compared to how much his deceased father had been revered, he was fair, and certainly lenient compared to his predecessor. If not so, his ire was at least predictable to the level headed.

Long ago, the first Hibari had been voted ruler of the little town known as Namimori for defending it against enemies and bandits. He founded Namimori, so to say. As generations passed, the town grew bigger and livelier, becoming more and more populated. Stories got passed down, and so did lessons to always respect the Hibari clan. Little did many know that the Hibari clan's influence had stemmed from much further than their beloved town. With ties to not only nobility, but royalty across the globe, the Hibari clan had always flourished no matter what surname they took, and what form their success took.

At some point, 'Namimori' disappeared from the map of Japan with little convincing needed, the highest form of government in Japan being all too afraid of upsetting the main branch of the Hibari clan. The higher-ups were upset, but they could do nothing but collectively ignore all towns under the protection of the current head of Hibari. As Namimori grew, it unofficially absorbed the surrounding towns. Some combined with Namimori legally, some retained their name, but Namimori had flourished under every Hibari's rule in vastly different ways. Eventually, it became a miniature sovereign with its isolated governance and exemption from tax.

Of course, in the Hibari clan's generosity to Japan, all Namimori citizens were not allowed to interfere in Japanese politics for as long as they were under the Namimori 'sovereign', in exchange for non interference from Japan.

Obviously, the Hibari family would always be at the top of this 'sovereign', despite the fact that it had only one surviving heir with no other blood related kin bearing the Hibari surname.

Namimori was of course, as always, odd. In fact, Namimori and its subordinate towns could be compared to a chunk of Japan ripped out to become something else entirely.

One of the greatest oddities in Namimori was its large eurasian population despite the fact that Namimori and any town under its rule were not on any map of Japan. Having said that, it really need not be reiterated that the Hibari clan's influence reached very far and very wide. Also, with the heavy secured borders surrounding the Namimori Empire, there should have been no way for foreigners to sneak past the extremely detailed background check.

Even so, obviously either someone did sneak past, or even less likely, they had been granted permission.

Let it be said that even a one week stay in Namimori required extensive background checks, not to mention any semi-permanent stays or god forbid, permanent ones. One would have to turn out to be closely related to an existing Namimori citizen for that miracle to happen, and even that would be granted on a case by case basis — on probation.

On the other hand, the teacher was pretty sure that this 'someone' had not been granted permission.

"Even so," the teacher muttered, her smile wobbly. "We have a new transfer student today!"

"His name is— Byakuran Gesso!"

In unison, the class turned to look at the door sliding open. Then, confused expressions appeared on the faces of the class. With the tense atmosphere over, the murmurs from the students grew into a heated discussion. The number one question swirling in their empty little civilian heads was—

Where on earth was the transfer student?

XXXXXXX

In the Sawada household, Nana's cell phone rang with a special ringtone designed to catch her undivided attention. The catchy music was deceptive in its upbeat tempo, for it signified a call from the person who had upturned her world and unveiled the truth her husband had been hiding.

Her eyes narrowed with deep concern for her son's well being. The last time he had contacted her, he informed her of the screw ups that would cause her beloved son to be in line for the scariest and most powerful Mafia Family's boss.

What bad news did he bring her this time?

Do not let Nana's intentions be misunderstood. She was grateful to the mysterious person who had warned her of those terrible things, but harbingers of bad news were never well liked in history. Putting away the broom, she picked up her cellphone, which had a tiny fox and fish accessory on it, a birthday gift from her son. Then, as soon as she clicked the green 'accept call' button, his words shot through her good mood like an avenging arrow.

"The greatest hitman, Reborn will be arriving in Japan to tutor your son to become the boss the day after tomorrow. Your husband has given him the required paperwork and credibility to enter Namimori. Have fun!" Without waiting for a reply, the person on the line hung up.

Later, when her son returned home from school, he would dismiss the red rims around her eyes as a result of overworking, and would insist that she took some rest.

As if she could ever rest.

XXXXXXX

At the same time, perched squatting above the Sawada household's roof was the truant transfer student Byakuran Gesso. He had observed the brunette's reactions as he informed her of Reborn's arrival, and truthfully, he found her pitiful. He had interfered the first time for his own amusement, though he certainly had not expected to grow to care for the woman and this world's Tsunayoshi.

A fascinating phenomena.

He plopped another marshmallow into his mouth after thoroughly torturing it with his fingers.

At least it would be fun to watch, he told himself as he resolutely looked away from Nana's tears. No matter what his mind was telling him, he would not reveal his carefully concealed identity just to comfort some crying woman!

Even if the sight of her tears somehow irked him more than the nearby chihuahua's yapping.

XXXXXXX

Kitsune sat on the roof of his target's house, his face scrunched up thoughtfully under his mask as he twirled his pen and pouted. His pet project was getting a teensy bit annoying.

Hmm... How should he go about this?

He swung his legs back and forth from where he sat on the edge of the roof. The night was early, and there were plenty of time for him to write another letter and sneak in, but Kitsune never claimed to have writing talent. His mother would not be expecting him home anytime soon, but he would still prefer to return early.

The sky was dimming by the minute, the final orange ray of the sunset turning grayish and purplish as the last of the sun went down bashfully behind the clouds. Tick tock.

 _Dear Keisuke-kun,_

He penned down, careful to mimic the handwriting of a certain dead girl's. With a devious glint in his eyes, he decided to add another heart beside the boy's name, chuckling softly.

The view up here was beautiful. Picturesque, he thought, he might just extend this little prank just for the view. Tapping the pen against his cheek, he smirked, before carefully writing the next few lines down.

 _Did you miss me? I have a little gift for you, my love. You looked so happy today chattering with that girl on your way to school, so I thought I'd need to remind you of who you truly love..._

He decided to try something new, so he had collected a little 'surprise' gift for his naughty little victim. He didn't want to seem too repetitive after all, and he had already sent three previous letters and ten previous emails along the same lines of obsessive stalkerish love.

Kitsune 'hmm'ed for a little, before he thought of a little something.

 _Won't you meet me after school tomorrow? I know you have nothing on at that point._

How did he know his victim's schedule? Oh, no, of course he didn't actually stalk the poor guy. He just... let his overzealous followers do it for him? The Kitsunetsuki had to be useful for something...

He supposed that terrorizing the boy like this was a little too much, but on second thoughts, this was someone who had driven his girlfriend to suicide after getting her pregnant while he two-timed on her with her younger sister. On that point, Kitsune thought, it might not actually be severe enough.

His eyes flashed orange, but it may have been a trick of the light. With a vindictive click on his pen, he went on with the letter.

 _I love you, Keisuke-kun. Remember not to cheat on me again, alright?_

 _It's okay if you don't look for me tomorrow, but I will come for you, my dear. We'll have so much fun together!_

Blinking at the monstrosity the tip of his pen had created, he continued, signing off as a long dead girl. It was not counted as disrespecting the dead if he had asked for permission at her grave, was it? He even brought offerings and her favourite (last he checked with Kitsunetsuki) flowers to her grave!

 _Even if I will never forgive you, I will always love you, Keisuke._

 _I hope to see you beside me one day, if not possible in life, then—_

 _Your love,_

 _Yumi_

Adding a few more hearts, he carefully folded the letter and placed it within the pink envelope atypical of love letters. He was kind of disgusted, actually. He could not feel any girlier and creepier than trying to write the love letter from Manami Yumi's perspective. Creepy...

He clicked his tongue and hopped down the roof, kicking off as he jumped to land in front of the mailbox, then, slotting the letter in before immediately darting off in the direction of his house.

His mother's cooking was not something he wanted to skip or let become cold.

Leaping from roof to roof lightly and nimbly, he let his blurred surroundings become nothing but a flash of colours and lines as he sped up with the warm, tingly feeling in him that he recently discovered could act as more than a danger sensor. Apparently, with enough determination focused on a single target, he could enhanced his physical abilities too.

It was a shame regarding how focused he had to be when he used this ability, for as he ignored his surroundings and continued travelling back home, he was caught off guard by Hibari Kyoya.

There was the feeling of cold hard steel slamming onto his sides, before the world went into blur and his balance found itself rapidly extinguished. The impact of that strike sent Kitsune crashing down into the concrete. A sharp pain lanced through his head as it hit the ground, breaking his focus enough that his physical abilities were no longer enhanced. Vertigo overwhelmed his senses, and he suddenly felt dizzy enough to vomit.

That was not a good sign.

"Fuck," an involuntary gasp of pain crossed his mouth. He dared not even twitch a muscle near his injury.

"Pathetic as always," the black-haired teen before him was a mere silhouette as the setting sun concealed his face with a looming shadow. His eyes seemed to glow unnaturally with feral aggressiveness as he growled, "You won't get away this time, herbivore."

"We'll see about that." Kitsune spat out out, gritting his teeth and rubbing the dark bruise that was no doubt forming on his left side. Ignoring the pain, he dropped into a defensive crouch and grimaced. He didn't hate Hibari, really. In fact, he was rather fond of their cat and mouse games most of the time. However, there were times like this that reminded him why he was Hibari's most fervent rival.

It hurt like a bitch, even when he held back force in his strikes, and Hibari certainly did not hold back this time. Without the strange power enhancing his durability, he would have gotten a broken rib from that strike. And now, he did not even have the concentration for that added layer of defense.

"There is nothing to see about, pretentious _fox,_ " Hibari pronounced the word as if it was hot iron on his tongue, his expression openly disdainful. It was a rarity for Hibari to be so free with the dislike he showed on his face, but that was sadly common when he faced off with the one known as Kitsune. Despite what was commonly uttered behind doors, Hibari could actually be rather expressive when he felt like it. "I will get you this time."

"No you won't, you son of a fecking-!" His heart was driven to a furious, fast-paced pounding as he dodged the steel menace by a hair's breath. For a second, he froze, just staring at Hibari's dark scowl with a horrified feeling. He could barely breathe.

Then, snapping back to his senses, he yelled at Hibari, shaken by the close shave, "W-What the heck?"

The silhouette known as Hibari blurred and disappeared in a blink of his eye. Then, Kitsune received his reply in the form of lightning fast strikes headed for his back. Left without time to think, the Fox spun around and followed the lurching, violently tingling feeling in his guts that screamed for him to _dodgedodgedodgedodg- DODGE!_

Kitsune leaped back to catch his breath, but Hibari refused to let up. He pulled his arm back and forcefully swung the tonfa forward.

The metallic colour left uncountable after images with its unholy speed, and yet, its owner was unsatisfied. The taller male did not wear his usual bloodthirsty smirk, and that observation only served to intensify the sinking feeling in Kitsune. Instead, pure, unadulterated fury scorched the liquid grey of Hibari's eyes, and as his strikes became more and more erratic, brutal and uncontrolled, Kitsune found himself faced with a single possibility.

—The demon prefect was pissed off at him.

Confusion ate at him as he found himself having to fend off potentially lethal attacks. Without the slightest shred of mercy, Hibari lunged at him, raining blow after blow of pent up dissatisfaction at him.

"Fuck!" Kitsune cursed as Hibari swung both his tonfa and his bare fist at Kitsune. Left without time to dodge both, the fox chose to take the tonfa to his guts instead of risking the exposure of his identity through the destruction of his mask. Cuts began tearing through the long billowing black cloak the Fox donned, and soon, bruises began overlapping.

Kitsune could feel everything in startling clarity, but the fight was draining his energy nearly dry. His surroundings kept blurring, and he could only focus on avoiding the steel menace. More than merely once or twice, the Fox had to remind himself to breathe, and that no matter how much he wanted to stop, he had to keep moving.

Just in time, he blocked a strike aimed at the side of his head. If that had hit, he'd be bleeding all over the floor by now. He gave a scream of agony when the tonfa impacted his right forearm. No, he couldn't go on for longer.

There was no time, no energy, no will behind him as he continued to barely avoid a hospital stay. No matter how much his head screamed for him to return Hibari's brutality, he could not—

"Shit!"

It was too, perhaps because of this unfortunate lack of retaliation that Hibari got even more aggressive. The fight did not challenge his capabilities nor his wits in the slightest, and thus, frustrated, Hibari took his anger out on the Fox.

Hibari seemed to be really trying to hurt him.

But why?

What did he do?

'I thought we had an unspoken agreement! An understanding between rivals! Maybe even a dysfunctional sort of friendship!' Kitsune thought as he had another near miss with the tonfa. He was desperate, hungry, and confused. Above all, he was hurt and exhausted.

He wanted to stop, and he did, for a second.

 _Swish!_

Another strike aimed to give him a concussion. He dodged it with unsteady footsteps, but could not regain his strength fast enough to dodge another.

His moment of weakness was the moment Hibari got a hit in, gutting him in his abdomen with one heavy swing of his tonfa. Kitsune's eyes widened in a flash of obvious pain, and he gasped, bending over in agony. He grabbed hold of the tonfa with the last of his strength and refused to let go, thinking it could at least buy him some time to recover.

It did not.

Letting go of his tonfa, Hibari darted behind the Fox and brandished another tonfa. Kitsune blinked, before he let out another curse.

At some point in their fight, Hibari had swooped up the tonfa that had been abandoned at the start of their fight. Kitsune never noticed, for it had been hidden in the black gakuran that Hibari wore on his shoulders.

Thus, as he shot behind Kitsune, Hibari had the time to maneuver the tonfa out of his gakuran and into position discreetly. Kitsune spun back, just in time for the harsh metal of Hibari's tonfa to impact him one last time. That proved to be the last straw that sent his flickering conscious into sweet oblivion.

 _'I guess... I'm skipping dinner...'_ He thought, before he was rendered unconscious.

XXXXXXX

Kitsune's head was muddled and not quite screwed on when he awoke to blurry vision and a pounding, vengeful headache. It seemed that his head did not take to getting hit very well, but since his vision was gradually clearing, the possibility of a concussion could be removed for the moment. He shook his head and blinked to hasten the return of his wits, then smiled knowingly, when his head cleared enough for him to remember what it meant for his mask to be intact in spite of his tattered cloak.

Despite being called 'pathetic', he was still of interest to Hibari, now that his anger had cooled from giving Kitsune that beat down.

—And with this gesture, Hibari silently admitted that he wished for the games between them to continue.

And that, meant that Hibari would be thoroughly disappointed if Kitsune was not capable of escaping. It wouldn't do to disappoint the skylark, would it?

Oh gosh, success had really gotten to his head hadn't it now. He was probably the only person in Namimori that could somewhat communicate with 'His Highness Hibari Kyoya', and yet, despite that, he felt like he had just disappointed the little birdie. In fact, he knew he had.

Well, he could still fix this.

Kitsune stretched his facial muscles into a smirk. He could feel thick, coarse ropes binding his arms and legs, and from experience with kidnappers, they would likely tighten if he struggled. He winced when shifting his position proved to irritate his injuries. Fortunately for him and not the kidnappers, his pea-sized toddler brain had eventually remembered how to undo those complicated knots. Completely out of necessity, of course.

From its clean, pristine environment, and how well furnished the place was, he was likely in the reception room. Then, judging by the lack of a Hibari styled tonfa in his face, he was left alone to wake to avoid causing or worsening a concussion; the skylark just could not resist hitting Kitsune whenever possible.

Thus, with how anal Hibari was about discipline, he would be here in about three minutes, at eleven thirty according to the clock in the room.

Very little time... Not that he had ever failed to escape in three minutes, and he wouldn't start to break his pristine record now.

Enough of monologue.

Making quick work of his restraints, he freed himself, then scrambled to the window and scanned the ground level for any of Hibari's henchmen. There were five guards near the school gate, listlessly standing around.

 _'Hohoh, despite being that Hibari's men, they are certainly undisciplined.'_ Kitsune narrowed his eyes in amusement.

Pulling out a piece of orange post-it from the inside pockets of his worn cloak, he quickly scribbled some words and his signature fox on it with some deliberation. It was stuck innocuously in the middle of his previous restraints.

Hibari had given him a warning in his own barbaric way, though he certainly wasn't the type to deliberately let Kitsune go; that was what his strange, Tingly Gut Feeling™ told him. Ever since he managed to land a birthday prank on Hibari, he had grown over confident and had let his guard down.

That was utterly no good, of which Hibari made quite clear on his opinion of that.

Usually, Kitsune would have been able to dodge the first and most damaging strike. If he hadn't been complacent, he could have given Hibari nearly as good as he had been given. He should have listened to the Tingly Gut Feeling™ and restocked on his gas grenades. He might not have been on par with Hibari in fighting prowess, but his agility, speed, and cunning wits could not be underestimated easily.

And thus, his only reply to that act of consideration could only be something they both understood - an unspoken apology and an invitation.

Pushing open the glass window, he jumped, sprinting across the clearing and darting between the poor fools who were stationed near the school gates. He nearly screamed when the jump proved too strenuous for the cuts and bruises scattered across his front and sides. The last guard was startled into jumping backwards, and he fell onto his buddy behind him, receiving a snicker and very little sympathy from Kitsune.

Those 'guards' were obviously new recruits on their first assignment.

XXXXXXX

A little while after Kitsune's escape was discovered by him, Hibari leaned against the door to the reception room from the outside, feeling the chill of the night seep into him. His face was expressionless as a sculpture of unmoving stone, ethereally glowing from the dim light of the moon.

A tiny, unnoticeable tug on his lips was the only thing that betrayed his satisfaction at his prey having realized his folly. He closed his fist around the little note he had found, wrinkling the tiny piece of paper.

 _Catch me, Hibari. —Kitsune_

He had long gotten over his initial feelings of territorial anger and dislike towards the Fox, and undeniably, he made a good distraction from the rest of the herbivores. He was still a herbivore, but he had potential to become an omnivore, and that was good enough for Hibari, at least at the moment.

Damn if he would let his life go back to boring again.

But next time, he would spare no such _mercy_ _—_ for he hadn't understood the warning, he must not have been worth it in the first place.

Hibari had no interest in a herbivorous sheep in a fox's clothing.

XXXXXXX

When Kitsune reached home, it was nearing midnight. To avoid waking his mother, he tiptoed and snuck in with as much stealth and quietness he could muster at the moment with his exhausted, injured self.

Needless to say, he was extremely surprised when he found his mother waiting for him with the lights on in the kitchen. Surprised, guilty, and sheepish about coming home late again.

"Oh my, Tsu-kun. Did the _Hibari_ detain you again?" His mother asked him with an amused smile as she calmly took a sip of her warm green tea. The aroma of freshly brewed tea was fragrant and subtle, a refined scent that went over Tsuna's head.

Nervous sweat beads rolled down his forehead as he removed his mask and cloak, placing them neatly, _carefully,_ on the nearby chair. "Uh, maybe...?" His eloquence was a charm point.

She sighed, then knowingly asked. "What needs to be fixed?"

"The idiot... my costume... the festival?" Tsuna mumbled something, but his mother seemed to understand.

She gave him a complicated look that could only be described as scrutiny. "I'll have to rush to fix it before your little chase, Tsuna, but I can do that. But from now on, you'll have to get used to a lower frequency of your pranks. We'll be receiving a guest soon, go it? Now go get your injuries treated properly!"

Tsuna debated to himself if he should inquire of the mysterious visitor, but concluded that he was better off staying silent. Shifting uneasily out of the kitchen, he headed up the stairs, sulking. "Yes, mother..."

He flopped onto his bed once he reached his room, and lazily pulled out the calendar from his bedside drawer.

June 17... In a few minutes, it'd be the eighteenth of June, the eve of the Night of the Wandering Fox.

He made a grumpy sound under his breath, sounding unconvincing even to himself. As the clock across the room ticked in silence, he found his lips stretching into a smile. His trepidation and hesitation was fading into the excitement that he had not wanted to acknowledge. It was going to be risky; it was going to be a disaster if he ever so slightly slipped up.

But it was going to be thrilling.

It was going to be _fun_.

He closed his eyes and let himself snuggle into the pillow. His breathing evened as he relaxed, and as the clock struck twelve, he let the comfort of silence lull him to sleep.

 _Catch me, Hibari._


End file.
